A/N - here's the next chapter! Hope you guys like it! Thanks for all the reviews!
Chapter 11
Leopold smiled as Eliza looked at her confused. Parker was too dazed over Tanner to notice anything going on with the rest of the table and Tanner grinned toward his friend before coughing loudly to get his attention. Aaron blinked and lowered his fork while swallowing largely and taking a big gulp of the ale that was sitting in front of him. Jeff and Gawayn were worried about their friend until they heard Parker introducing Leopold, then they started grinning at each other and slapping Aaron on the back. Conversations started up in the inn again after Parker and Tanner's display of affection, and soon it started again at their table. Leopold had a clear view of Aaron and he of her, but she never allowed herself to look at him, for fear she'll say or do something she'll regret. He on the other hand looked at her quite constantly whilst he talked to his friends.
"So Leopold, where do you come from?" Tanner asked picking up a piece of bread from the basket in the middle of the table and taking a large bite from it.
"Wessex." Leopold replied sipping the ale that had been brought to the three girls and helping herself to a piece of bread as well. Eliza kept looking over her shoulder towards the kitchen anxiously waiting the soup the three girls had ordered as she was famished from their long run through the city.
"You're the little orphan aren't you!" Tanner said. Leopold couldn't tell if he was teasing her or not. "How's your neck?"
Leopold looked up from her ale as the table around her grew quite. Most of the boys turned and stared at her and she stole a glance at Aaron who was chewing on a piece of beef and staring between Tanner and Leopold. Parker and Eliza were perfectly confused. No one said anything for a few minutes as Leopold reached up and rubbed her neck where a scab had grown from her incident with Benedict and again with Gawayn. She then glanced towards Gawayn who had his head bent over his food. He raised his head and stared at her with guilt written all over. Leopold smiled towards him and looked at Tanner again.
"No harm done" she replied smiling through the silence. The table started up with talk again as Leopold glanced at Gawayn again. He locked eyes with her and nodded an apology. Leopold smiled at him and nodded in return before returning to the conversation with Parker and Eliza as he continued talking to the boy sitting at his left.
"I've heard rumors," said the boy sitting beside Eliza who couldn't be older than thirteen. "but I'd like to clarify those rumors. Just how many cousins do you have? And are you really the only girl?"
Leopold laughed at the boy's questions. One she can gladly admit she had never been asked before then. The girl sitting on his left gave him a small slap over his head while laughing. "Quite Nicholas! She probably gets that all the time. I'm sorry miss!" she said speaking to Leopold. "He's not to bright!"
"Am too!" Nicholas replied defending himself towards his friend.
"Of course you are!" the girls responded treating him as if he were her own son, the only problem being she looked so much like him they could be twins.
"Shut up Alex!" Nicholas said at the point of pouting. "All I did was ask a simple question!"
"One I'd gladly answer!" Leopold shouted over the twos children's bickering and causing both of them to stop talking and turn bright red from embarrassment. "To answer your question Nicholas, I have twenty-four cousins, six 'nieces', seven 'nephews', nine uncles, seven aunts and yes I am the only girl."
"But if you're an only child how can you have nieces and nephews?" the girl, Alex, asked.
"From the fact that I will never have nieces and nephews. So I call my cousins children my nieces and nephews instead." Leopold replied as the three girls soups finally came and they paid for their dinner. Eliza started gulping down her soup as Parker and Leopold watched with amusement. Leopold glanced again at Aaron. He sat with his arms crossed on the table and talked with his friends whilst the servant cleared his plate of empty food. He seemed to notice her staring and looked up to meet her eyes. Leopold glanced down at her food quickly and picked up her spoon with her heart beating against her chest as she started eating, realizing just how hungry she actually was.
She began to eat, swallowing the soup at a rapid pace not realizing until the soup was gone how badly her manners had been. Embarrassed, Leopold wiped her mouth with a napkin and gave a small burp. No one seemed to notice her but she smiled anyway and her face grew red. The soup had been delicious, but she suddenly had the urge to use the latrines.
"Parker," she whispered leaning towards the girls and keeping her voice low. Parker did likewise and listened to what Leopold had to say before she sat back up again and whispered into Tanners ear. He then whispered back into hers and she again bent down to whisper to Leopold.
"Up the stairs, third room on the right." Parker whispered "You can use the privy in there."
"Thank you," Leopold whispered before the two smiled at each other and sat up again. A flash caught Leopold's eye and she stared down the table to where Aaron was taking money from a small bag as the boys around him started playing cards and gambling. Aaron looked up at her and smiled while his cards were being dealt to him. Scowling, Leopold never was one for gambling, she stood from the chair and grabbed her skirts together as she headed towards the stairs. She reached them with no one else grabbing her anyplace she didn't want, as most of them glanced at the man with the broken nose before moving their chairs out of the way, and started ascending the stairs. She stood at the top and looked down the long hallway before her.
'Third door on the right' she said over and over again in her mind remembering the instructions. Reaching the door Leopold turned the handle and entered cautiously hoping a joke hadn't been played on her. When she opened the door she found a regular room set up. A bed stood against one wall and when Leopold glanced at it she yawned, realizing how tired she was. A table with four chairs sat in the middle of the room and on the wall opposite the bed stood an armoire. Two windows adorned the wall opposite of where she stood and the rest of the walls stood bare. Next to the armoire was a door that Leopold guessed led to where she wanted to be. She crossed the room in less than a second and flung open the door to see the room split in half, one part being a dressing room and the other a bathroom. Behind a door that was set in the wall was the privy, which Leopold quickly used. When she was done she quickly washed her hands in the cold water that sat in a small tub and dried them with the hand towel that sat next to it.
Leaving the bathroom she shut the door and turned around to see Aaron leaning against one of the beds post with his arms crossed. Startled, Leopold jumped from being frightened. Aaron laughed at her and flashed a row of gorgeous teeth. Leopold's heart started beating faster as she watched his chest move up and down from his laughter.
"What do you want?" Leopold hissed scowling and glaring at him.
"I just came to get more money from my room." Aaron said smiling against towards her and showing her a small pouch from his pocket, which jingled with money when he shook it. Leopold's eye narrowed as she realized what Tanner had done. "Although, I have to ask what your doing in here?" Aaron raised his eyebrows teasingly and waited for her answer.
"That's none of your business!" Leopold hissed moving towards the door and trying to ignore his somewhat arrogant attitude that she wished he really had. Then it would be easy for her to hate him instead of doing otherwise. Her pulse returned to normal as she walked towards the door, but Aaron was to quick for her though and reached the door the same time she did. She reached for the doorknob and tried turning it but Aaron covered her hand with his own, and refused to let her leave. Once again her heart sped up as she realized their bodies were but an in away from each other. Leopold swallowed before glancing at Aaron and almost becoming lost in his eye but quickly looked at his lips as he moved closer towards her. His face was an inch from hers before Leopold slid her hand out from underneath his and moved away from the door and from him. Clearing her throat Leopold turned and stared at Aaron who looked hurt for a second before putting his cocky smiling face back on.
"So have you lived here all your life? Or are you just visiting?" Leopold motioned towards the room around her.
"Most of my life." Aaron replied crossing his arms and leaning against the door. Obviously he wasn't going to let her leave anytime soon. Leopold took a quick glance out the window and noticed it was not completely dark, not a time she wanted to be walking home alone. "The rogue has been my home for as long as I can remember."
"The rogue?" Leopold smiled almost mocking it. "I was told that was always a myth. Mostly it was something my aunts made up to keep me in line. 'If your not good I'll stick the rogue on you' they would say."
"The rogue is as real as I'm standing here." Aaron grinned opening his hands and bowing towards her.
"And how did you come about the rogue?" Leopold questioned him "You did say you'd been a part of it for most of your life!"
Aaron grinned and pushed away from the door walking towards her. Leopold backed up and hit the wall as he stood in front of her leaning both his arms on the wall to pin her against it. "Does that really matter? I'm here now aren't I?"
Leopold looked at him and was tempted to kiss him. Feeling his breath against her cheek made her heart pound and she could've sworn he was gong to hear it. Leopold swallowed and slipped out of his arms as she walked towards the door pulling it open and leaving the room with Aaron right behind her.
"What's the matter?" Aaron said following her down the hall.
Leopold rolled her eyes not even bothering to slow her pace and replying in a mocking voice. "Other than your arrogant attitude nothings the matter!"
"How am I arrogant?" Aaron asked
"Never mind," she muttered
"I wasn't arrogant when you kissed me in the woods!"
"I didn't kiss you in the woods, you kissed me!" Leopold replied with a small laugh
"Of course you didn't." Aaron said "My lips just happened to move on their own, without any help from the other person."
Leopold stopped and turned to look at him. She smiled as he got close enough to reach out and kiss her before turning around and continuing the walk towards the stairs with Aaron hot on her heels.
"You know what your problem is," Aaron continued "Your afraid of me! Your too good for a poor thief like myself!"
"Of course!" Leopold turned on the stairs and faced him. "My problem is that I don't want to fall in love with you and go from being very well off and always having a place to live and knowing that my future children and I will always be safe, to living in a practically run down inn with thieves all around and not knowing if I'll wake up the next day or if one of my children will be murdered because I have enemies, your right that is my problem!"
"Well if you would just give a guy a chance then maybe you'll see that life's not all about wealth and protection!"
"Than what is it about?" Leopold replied staring into his eyes "Cause it certainly isn't about love! So what is it about Aaron? You don't even know yourself."
Aaron grinned and looked down at her from the step above that he stood on. He reached out and touched her cheek before quickly leaning in and kissing her before she could get away again. As he knew she would she kissed back, wrapping her arms around his neck and tightening their embrace. Leopold melted into his arms and loved the feel of his kisses, but it all ended to soon when a voice was heard next to them. Leopold pushed Aaron away and stared at the newcomer. Eliza stood there with a wide grin on her face and her eyebrows raised. She started laughing before turning it into a cough as Leopold narrowed her eyes and glared at her. Turning bright red Leopold lifted her skirts and continued down the stairs at a hurried pace. Aaron winked at Eliza before she turned away from him and followed her friend back to the table, never mentioning a word.
Chapter 11
Leopold smiled as Eliza looked at her confused. Parker was too dazed over Tanner to notice anything going on with the rest of the table and Tanner grinned toward his friend before coughing loudly to get his attention. Aaron blinked and lowered his fork while swallowing largely and taking a big gulp of the ale that was sitting in front of him. Jeff and Gawayn were worried about their friend until they heard Parker introducing Leopold, then they started grinning at each other and slapping Aaron on the back. Conversations started up in the inn again after Parker and Tanner's display of affection, and soon it started again at their table. Leopold had a clear view of Aaron and he of her, but she never allowed herself to look at him, for fear she'll say or do something she'll regret. He on the other hand looked at her quite constantly whilst he talked to his friends.
"So Leopold, where do you come from?" Tanner asked picking up a piece of bread from the basket in the middle of the table and taking a large bite from it.
"Wessex." Leopold replied sipping the ale that had been brought to the three girls and helping herself to a piece of bread as well. Eliza kept looking over her shoulder towards the kitchen anxiously waiting the soup the three girls had ordered as she was famished from their long run through the city.
"You're the little orphan aren't you!" Tanner said. Leopold couldn't tell if he was teasing her or not. "How's your neck?"
Leopold looked up from her ale as the table around her grew quite. Most of the boys turned and stared at her and she stole a glance at Aaron who was chewing on a piece of beef and staring between Tanner and Leopold. Parker and Eliza were perfectly confused. No one said anything for a few minutes as Leopold reached up and rubbed her neck where a scab had grown from her incident with Benedict and again with Gawayn. She then glanced towards Gawayn who had his head bent over his food. He raised his head and stared at her with guilt written all over. Leopold smiled towards him and looked at Tanner again.
"No harm done" she replied smiling through the silence. The table started up with talk again as Leopold glanced at Gawayn again. He locked eyes with her and nodded an apology. Leopold smiled at him and nodded in return before returning to the conversation with Parker and Eliza as he continued talking to the boy sitting at his left.
"I've heard rumors," said the boy sitting beside Eliza who couldn't be older than thirteen. "but I'd like to clarify those rumors. Just how many cousins do you have? And are you really the only girl?"
Leopold laughed at the boy's questions. One she can gladly admit she had never been asked before then. The girl sitting on his left gave him a small slap over his head while laughing. "Quite Nicholas! She probably gets that all the time. I'm sorry miss!" she said speaking to Leopold. "He's not to bright!"
"Am too!" Nicholas replied defending himself towards his friend.
"Of course you are!" the girls responded treating him as if he were her own son, the only problem being she looked so much like him they could be twins.
"Shut up Alex!" Nicholas said at the point of pouting. "All I did was ask a simple question!"
"One I'd gladly answer!" Leopold shouted over the twos children's bickering and causing both of them to stop talking and turn bright red from embarrassment. "To answer your question Nicholas, I have twenty-four cousins, six 'nieces', seven 'nephews', nine uncles, seven aunts and yes I am the only girl."
"But if you're an only child how can you have nieces and nephews?" the girl, Alex, asked.
"From the fact that I will never have nieces and nephews. So I call my cousins children my nieces and nephews instead." Leopold replied as the three girls soups finally came and they paid for their dinner. Eliza started gulping down her soup as Parker and Leopold watched with amusement. Leopold glanced again at Aaron. He sat with his arms crossed on the table and talked with his friends whilst the servant cleared his plate of empty food. He seemed to notice her staring and looked up to meet her eyes. Leopold glanced down at her food quickly and picked up her spoon with her heart beating against her chest as she started eating, realizing just how hungry she actually was.
She began to eat, swallowing the soup at a rapid pace not realizing until the soup was gone how badly her manners had been. Embarrassed, Leopold wiped her mouth with a napkin and gave a small burp. No one seemed to notice her but she smiled anyway and her face grew red. The soup had been delicious, but she suddenly had the urge to use the latrines.
"Parker," she whispered leaning towards the girls and keeping her voice low. Parker did likewise and listened to what Leopold had to say before she sat back up again and whispered into Tanners ear. He then whispered back into hers and she again bent down to whisper to Leopold.
"Up the stairs, third room on the right." Parker whispered "You can use the privy in there."
"Thank you," Leopold whispered before the two smiled at each other and sat up again. A flash caught Leopold's eye and she stared down the table to where Aaron was taking money from a small bag as the boys around him started playing cards and gambling. Aaron looked up at her and smiled while his cards were being dealt to him. Scowling, Leopold never was one for gambling, she stood from the chair and grabbed her skirts together as she headed towards the stairs. She reached them with no one else grabbing her anyplace she didn't want, as most of them glanced at the man with the broken nose before moving their chairs out of the way, and started ascending the stairs. She stood at the top and looked down the long hallway before her.
'Third door on the right' she said over and over again in her mind remembering the instructions. Reaching the door Leopold turned the handle and entered cautiously hoping a joke hadn't been played on her. When she opened the door she found a regular room set up. A bed stood against one wall and when Leopold glanced at it she yawned, realizing how tired she was. A table with four chairs sat in the middle of the room and on the wall opposite the bed stood an armoire. Two windows adorned the wall opposite of where she stood and the rest of the walls stood bare. Next to the armoire was a door that Leopold guessed led to where she wanted to be. She crossed the room in less than a second and flung open the door to see the room split in half, one part being a dressing room and the other a bathroom. Behind a door that was set in the wall was the privy, which Leopold quickly used. When she was done she quickly washed her hands in the cold water that sat in a small tub and dried them with the hand towel that sat next to it.
Leaving the bathroom she shut the door and turned around to see Aaron leaning against one of the beds post with his arms crossed. Startled, Leopold jumped from being frightened. Aaron laughed at her and flashed a row of gorgeous teeth. Leopold's heart started beating faster as she watched his chest move up and down from his laughter.
"What do you want?" Leopold hissed scowling and glaring at him.
"I just came to get more money from my room." Aaron said smiling against towards her and showing her a small pouch from his pocket, which jingled with money when he shook it. Leopold's eye narrowed as she realized what Tanner had done. "Although, I have to ask what your doing in here?" Aaron raised his eyebrows teasingly and waited for her answer.
"That's none of your business!" Leopold hissed moving towards the door and trying to ignore his somewhat arrogant attitude that she wished he really had. Then it would be easy for her to hate him instead of doing otherwise. Her pulse returned to normal as she walked towards the door, but Aaron was to quick for her though and reached the door the same time she did. She reached for the doorknob and tried turning it but Aaron covered her hand with his own, and refused to let her leave. Once again her heart sped up as she realized their bodies were but an in away from each other. Leopold swallowed before glancing at Aaron and almost becoming lost in his eye but quickly looked at his lips as he moved closer towards her. His face was an inch from hers before Leopold slid her hand out from underneath his and moved away from the door and from him. Clearing her throat Leopold turned and stared at Aaron who looked hurt for a second before putting his cocky smiling face back on.
"So have you lived here all your life? Or are you just visiting?" Leopold motioned towards the room around her.
"Most of my life." Aaron replied crossing his arms and leaning against the door. Obviously he wasn't going to let her leave anytime soon. Leopold took a quick glance out the window and noticed it was not completely dark, not a time she wanted to be walking home alone. "The rogue has been my home for as long as I can remember."
"The rogue?" Leopold smiled almost mocking it. "I was told that was always a myth. Mostly it was something my aunts made up to keep me in line. 'If your not good I'll stick the rogue on you' they would say."
"The rogue is as real as I'm standing here." Aaron grinned opening his hands and bowing towards her.
"And how did you come about the rogue?" Leopold questioned him "You did say you'd been a part of it for most of your life!"
Aaron grinned and pushed away from the door walking towards her. Leopold backed up and hit the wall as he stood in front of her leaning both his arms on the wall to pin her against it. "Does that really matter? I'm here now aren't I?"
Leopold looked at him and was tempted to kiss him. Feeling his breath against her cheek made her heart pound and she could've sworn he was gong to hear it. Leopold swallowed and slipped out of his arms as she walked towards the door pulling it open and leaving the room with Aaron right behind her.
"What's the matter?" Aaron said following her down the hall.
Leopold rolled her eyes not even bothering to slow her pace and replying in a mocking voice. "Other than your arrogant attitude nothings the matter!"
"How am I arrogant?" Aaron asked
"Never mind," she muttered
"I wasn't arrogant when you kissed me in the woods!"
"I didn't kiss you in the woods, you kissed me!" Leopold replied with a small laugh
"Of course you didn't." Aaron said "My lips just happened to move on their own, without any help from the other person."
Leopold stopped and turned to look at him. She smiled as he got close enough to reach out and kiss her before turning around and continuing the walk towards the stairs with Aaron hot on her heels.
"You know what your problem is," Aaron continued "Your afraid of me! Your too good for a poor thief like myself!"
"Of course!" Leopold turned on the stairs and faced him. "My problem is that I don't want to fall in love with you and go from being very well off and always having a place to live and knowing that my future children and I will always be safe, to living in a practically run down inn with thieves all around and not knowing if I'll wake up the next day or if one of my children will be murdered because I have enemies, your right that is my problem!"
"Well if you would just give a guy a chance then maybe you'll see that life's not all about wealth and protection!"
"Than what is it about?" Leopold replied staring into his eyes "Cause it certainly isn't about love! So what is it about Aaron? You don't even know yourself."
Aaron grinned and looked down at her from the step above that he stood on. He reached out and touched her cheek before quickly leaning in and kissing her before she could get away again. As he knew she would she kissed back, wrapping her arms around his neck and tightening their embrace. Leopold melted into his arms and loved the feel of his kisses, but it all ended to soon when a voice was heard next to them. Leopold pushed Aaron away and stared at the newcomer. Eliza stood there with a wide grin on her face and her eyebrows raised. She started laughing before turning it into a cough as Leopold narrowed her eyes and glared at her. Turning bright red Leopold lifted her skirts and continued down the stairs at a hurried pace. Aaron winked at Eliza before she turned away from him and followed her friend back to the table, never mentioning a word.